U.S. Secretary of State calls for EU to condemn Iran over tanker

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A handout picture of tanker Adrian Darya 1 and an unidentified tanker near Baniyas, Syria, October 6, 2019, is shown in this satellite image handout released on October 9, 2019 by Maxar Technologies. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO. MANDATORY CREDIT.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday called on the European Union to condemn Iran and hold Tehran accountable after he said oil from Iranian tanker Adrian Darya had been offloaded in Syria.

“Oil from the #AdrianDarya1 has been offloaded in Syria, proving that Iran lied to the UK and Gibraltar ... EU members should condemn this action, uphold the rule of law, and hold Iran accountable,” Pompeo wrote in a post on Twitter.

The United Kingdom seized the tanker in July off the coast of Gibraltar in July. After authorities received formal written assurances from Tehran that the ship would not discharge 2.1 million barrels of oil from Syria, the vessel was released.

But in September, Britain’s foreign minister said the tanker had sold its crude oil to the Assad regime in Syria, breaking those assurances.